The novel also only mentioned that she knocked her head against the shell when she woke up, but I don't recall it mentioning that that night was the first time it was closed. If anything, she always heard the sound of the shell opening and closing each time he came and went, indicating that the shell was always closed except for those times when he entered or left. As for the times he brought her to the surface or under the sea, he was described in the novel as holding her in his arms when he did so. There is no mention that the shell was brought along with them, unlike how it is depicted in the drama (which I believe has to do with minimising skinship between them).liddi:
Someone pointed out that the time she woke up was the first and only time he ever avoided her, and they attributed this to him feeling guilty for what he did. I don't quite see it that way, but that he had already determined he had to start distancing himself from her so that she would no longer hold any hope for him, especially after spending 37 years under the ocean together, and it starts there and then. The Xiang Liu we know, whose heart Sir Bi described as being purer and clearer than glass, would never violate her against her volition. And she would know if they actually had intercourse. Yet all she thought of when she pretended she was unaware of everything that happened, was only of their embraces and companionship, sleeping together during those years. So I am hard pressed to believe that he did anything more than that to her on that last day. Just my two cents.
Totally agree.
Oh gosh. You have arrived at the right place. It's been some 3 months or so for me. It's now part of my life, this endless waiting for it to be over. So I just gave up trying to move on. The more I read about it, the more I'm convinced that this is the fictional character that I'll love for the rest of my life. And in my next life too.nathsketch:
So, again, welcome. You're not alone.
The endless waiting.
The Wait that Can't be Waited.
Heh. You've got the Lovesickness!
Hi everyoneLilMoussySnow:
I’m new here.
I have actually been following the post for a month and read pages 1- 200 until I decided to create an account lol
I watched the drama for fun as I’m not particularly a fan of any actors or YangZi but after a few episodes I was amazed with the performance of TJC as XiangLiu, the last time I admired a performance was ChengYi in Love and Redemption.
Oh, welcome!
You are not alone. This is a great thread with great discussions and amazing analysis of both the drama and the book. I wish there was a way to download the whole thing.
But we also have two general chat threads (one for each season) that may drift off topic every once in a while, but mostly focus on Xiang Liu and Tan Jian Ci in all his roles and life events. Just leap in and peruse older posts for treasures at your leisure.
https://mydramalist.com/discussions/lost-you-forever/112255-xiang-liu-and-you-yes-you?page=486
@Nathsketch
Thank you for your welcome. It is my pleasure to be in this group given we all have the same love for XiangLiu, that YaoJing or Jingers fans finds him toxic :) . They prefer a more selfish love than a selfless love :)
Welcome. I also was reading this thread for some time before making my own account! Everyone is super knowledgeable and very respectful in discussion here.
MengXiang:
Welcome. I also was reading this thread for some time before making my own account! Everyone is super knowledgeable and very respectful in discussion here.
It's a great thread that all the participants contribute to making awesome. It's also the only thread I can't keep up with, cause it requires far too much thinking on my part. lol
As far as I'm aware, the scene where CX's father (XY's Fourth Uncle) dies in Once Promised has not been translated, so I have not read it. But from what I gather from all the different references to that scene in the translated parts of Once Promised and in LYF, CX's father went into battle knowing he would die, and was trapped by his enemies. But then his fellow soldiers went to save him. He could have escaped then and gone back to his beloved wife and son (CX), but he chose to stay and die rather than abandon his fellow soldiers. He chose to die with them even though he didn't have to and his death didn't achieve anything. That seems like almost exactly the choice that XL made. I imagine that's why Tong Hua chose to have XY think of her uncle's choice in chapter 35.AH :
Not much of the prequel book (Once Promised) has been translated. So, most of the following is based on the prequel drama (A Lifetime Love).
In the situations for XY’s Fourth Uncle and Chi You (XY’s father), their Xuan Yuan Kingdom and Sheng Nong Kingdom, respectively, both lived on to fight another day. Their causes and wars continued. Even in a lost battle, there was something to be gained (or not lost) in the grand scheme of things. Fourth Uncle and his wife, who was a great warrior, went to battle. During the battle, they realized that they needed help. Retreat wasn’t an option. And, both refused to leave the battlefield. Fourth Uncle knocked his wife out and had her sent home to their very young son, CX.
Part of the tragedy of Fourth Uncle’s death is that his good buddy Shao Hao of the Gao Xing Kingdom (XY’s adoptive father) refused to send help, even though he really should have. The Gao Xing Kingdom and Xuan Yuan Kingdom had a marriage alliance when Shao Hao married Fourth Uncle’s little sister A’Heng (XY’s mother). In addition, a message for Xuan Yuan reinforcements was intercepted by one of Fourth Uncle’s little brothers by a different mother. This little brother betrayed Fourth Uncle and prevented reinforcements from being sent. So, Fourth Uncle died on the battlefield, when he shouldn’t have. (Then, at Fourth Uncle’s funeral, his wife committed suicide in front of CX. OMG.)
In Chi You’s situation, his army was at an advantage. After Fourth Uncle died, A’Heng joined the Xuan Yuan army as a leader in a battle against Chi You’s army. Chi You only died, because he saved his beloved A’Heng.
I think you can see that these war situations that are very unlike XL’s situation? Yes, Tong Hua does seem to be trying to make XL’s situation similar to Fourth Uncle’s situation. But, it’s too much of a stretch for me. In XL’s situation, his army was no longer fighting for anyone, but itself and its certain death. It was a lost cause that XL didn’t even believe in. I wish Tong Hua would have written better circumstances and a better ending for XL.
It's never too late to write your own fix-it fic. ^^
I wish I had anything close to that level of talent, but I don't! Also, I remember you writing something along the lines that there isn't much that can be done, while keeping Tong Hua's story intact. The first idea I thought of was reincarnation. The second is Gong Gong kicking XL out of the army, lol.
What doesn't sit well to me is XL relationship with Gong Gong. XL is his adopted son because they bonded so well and love each other. Now did Gong Gong think to ask his son why did you sleep in the ocean everyday for 37 years? With a bond so close XL shouldn't lie and Gong Gong should be able to tell his son has fallen hard for this XY. I know he does disappear from camp but to not sleep in camp for 37 years... May come back during the day... That has to be strange... If you know your son is so in love that he sacrificed a life and nursed XY for 37 years everyday and if he ever found out about the lovers bug... Wouldn't you insist he get out and live a life with her? Especially after hearing from the leaked script where he told the soldiers to go if they wanted to. I know XL wouldn't abandon him but surely as a dad he should take extreme measures for his son once he finds out his son has such a strong connection and is so dedicated to XY..
Maybe that's just what I hoped had happened...
You make so many great points! Yes, how did Gong Gong not figure something out? Also, I don’t understand how an adult can be adopted. In the U. S., the limit is usually 18 years old. If an adult is adopted, then what does that even mean? XL would succeed Gong Gong in the army? Or, it’s only symbolic of their loving father-son connection? Or?
yes I think it was mentioned somewhere that Shen Nong had three great generals at that time, Chi You, Gong Gong and another one (i forget his name) but the internal strife between them prevent Shen Nong to really unite against XiYan, otherwise the outcome of the war might be a different one.luv2bafangurl:
Ah, thank you. I thought I had remembered right.
I guess what I'm saying is that while I dislike Gong Gong, cause I see him as an obstacle to true love, it's his invisibility that obstructs understanding fully why XL makes the choices he does. And it is XL's choice to die in the end. I don't remember if it is in the leaked script or the book, or both, but Gong Gong does give him a choice or tries to get him to leave. It's XL's choice of the ending.
Even not seeing him or their relationship, I think it's clear that the most important thing for Gong Gong is the resistance or some ideal of his old country -- not the lives in his care. Whatever relationships he has, and they are genuine or people would not be devoted to him, they are all secondary to his cause.
Thank you AH for your explanation. Im very bad with remembering dates.
You're welcome!
I think you can see that these war situations that are very unlike XL’s situation?MTH123:
I see parallels with both of them, but mostly Chang Yi. They're not exactly the same, but there are still important similarities.
Yes, Tong Hua does seem to be trying to make XL’s situation similar to Fourth Uncle’s situation. But, it’s too much of a stretch for me. In XL’s situation, his army was no longer fighting for anyone, but itself and its certain death. It was a lost cause that XL didn’t even believe in.
For XL, it wasn't the cause that was important. It was the people. His father and his comrades.
For Chang Yi, he could have escaped. Staying to die after that point didn't do anything to help Xuan Yuan's cause. But he still chose to stay in order to die with his comrades. To not abandon them.
I wish I had anything close to that level of talent, but I don't! Also, I remember you writing something along the lines that there isn't much that can be done, while keeping Tong Hua's story intact. The first idea I thought of was reincarnation. The second is Gong Gong kicking XL out of the army, lol.
I did say that, and then I ended up writing a fic anyway. So never say never I guess ^^
I don't know the specifics, or if it was even revealed in the book, but I'm pretty sure that Gong Gong lost people important to him during the war. And I believe someone said that he didn't like Yang Zi's demon father, either.Kokuto:
I don't recall the novels mentioning anyone close to Gong Gong who died in the war.
Yes. From what I read of Once Promised, Zhu Rong and Chi You were deadly enemies, while Gong Gong and Chi You weren't quite as bad but they were rival generals / not friends. XL acknowledged that, but said that Gong Gong honoured Qi Yo after his death.
-----
Chapter 35:
“How was the relationship between Gong Gong and Qi Yo?”
“Really bad back then, almost hated foes. But after Qi Yo died and my adoptive father would pay respects to Zhu Rong, he would always also pay respects to Qi Yo.” Xiang Liu laughed in mockery. “You can’t have expected those guys to have been on good terms back then. If they got along, then Sheng Nong would have never been destroyed.”
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